5. The Man Who - Travis 1999
Scottish band Indie Pop/Rock band, Travis, had already released a pretty rocking debut record in, 'Good Feeling', which enjoyed some moderate success, and also scored them the support slot on Oasis' arena filling tour for their 'Be Here Now' album, at Noel Gallagher's personal request, a fan of the album. After the touring cycle finished, the band headed to France to record their second full-length in a Chateau owned by co-producer, Mike Hedges, who was working with Nigel Godrich, on 'The Man Who'. 'Good feeling had 5 singles taken from it, and went it at number 9 on the U.K. album charts, selling 40,000 copies, before slipping rapidly away. The critics were onside, and the band had a solid fanbase in place. What happened next, is a real Cinderella story. Two years after the release of the first album, Travis, then put out 'The Man Who'. It went in the U.K. album charts at number 7, and the two singles that preceded the album, enjoyed pretty minimal radio play. It looked like it was going to be a similar story for the second record, as it slipped away down the charts after the initial flurry of sales from existing fans, died away. To make matters a little worse, critics who had been positive about the upbeat and rocking, 'Good Feeling', now turned on the band, saying that the more melodic, melancholic and introspective songs on 'The Man Who', weren't as impressive as their last outing and some even, unbelievably, said they sounded contrived. One listen to the anything on 'The Man Who', definitely shows that the band weren't faking anything. If anything, this was the sound of a band doing what they wanted and not trying to write hits, just great songs. Great songs was what they delivered. Then, as if almost by divine intervention, the album's third single, 'Why Does it Always Rain on Me?', became a-listed on many radio stations, including the taste-making, BBC Radio 1. The song was hugely popular, and old-fashioned word of mouth began spreading that the whole album was as good, if not containing some even better songs, than the new surprise hit. The record stopped its descent at number 19, and then started slowly climbing again, until something else happened, that seemed even more, miraculous. The band were playing a mid-bill slot at the Glastonbury festival in 1999, and it had been dry and sunny all day, often the case at the infamous festival, when, it happened. The band began the opening bars of their unexpected hit, and suddenly, the heavens opened! Television news and papers were all over the story the very next day and the radio took their cue from the fact that the bands name was more well known than ever, and play-listed the albums previous other two singles, the gorgeous, 'Writing to Reach You' and reflective, 'Driftwood'. Both songs arguably better than 'Why Does it Always Rain on Me', as well as the current single, propelled the album straight back up the album chart, until it peaked at Number 1! The four Scottish lads then found themselves propelled to super-stardom, with a 237 show, world tour, headline slots at three festivals in 2000, namely Glastonbury, T in the Park (a huge Scottish homecoming welcome was reserved for the lads,) and the V festival. They also went back out with old tour buddies Oasis, supporting them on a U.S. tour. It was on this tour that the band witnessed their true, new-found fame, when at an in-store appearance at Tower Records on Sunset Strip in L.A., such was the hysteria from fans, that police had to close the road. They topped it all off by taking the Brit Award, in 2000, for 'Best Album'. The album itself, is delicate, pretty, and very emotionally downbeat, but somehow manages to not be wallowing, depressing and even makes sense on a warm, sunny day, as much as it does on a cold, overcast one. Singer/Guitarist/Songwriter, Fran Healy, uses a much softer approach than on the debut, and his use of falsetto is has rarely been matched, in alternative music circles. The album went on to sell 2.7 million copies and was the biggest selling record in the UK, in 1999. Not bad for four lads from Glasgow, is it? Fran Healy has many high profile fans of his songs, including Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Elton John and Chris Martin from Coldplay, who once called himself, "a poor man's Fran Healy". Many believe that it was Travis, representing the softer side of Britrock, that inspired the likes of Starsailor and Coldplay, to form.